Jeffrey Earnhardt has the family pedigree when it comes to racing and he will be making his NASCAR debut on Friday at Richmond International Raceway in the Nationwide Series, driving a car for his uncle Dale Earnhardt Jr.
According to ESPN.com, Earnhardt will be driving the number five care in a one-race deal for his company JR Motorsports and it could be one of the biggest moments of his career, as it could lead to more chances. Earnhardt gave his nephew a shot after seeing him win an MMA fight last year and now his nephew will be in the driver's seat.
Earnhardt said that his nephew was young and hadn't put in the work yet, but after seeing how hard he prepared, Earnhardt knew it was time. Earnhardt is coming up in the same way his uncle did and he know he will have to prove himself on the track and to other drivers. The race should help bring the two Earnhardt's closer together and the debut comes on a 0.75-mile track that has six wins between Earnhardt and Earnhardt's father. Back in 2007 Earnhardt questioned the work ethic of his nephew, but that has since changed.
Earnhardt came in fifth a K&N rookie in 2007 and later went into 15th in 2008. He later made his debut in Nationwide the next year but hasn't raced much since.
"His focus wasn't where it needed to be," Earnhardt Jr. says now of Jeffrey. "I don't think he grew up anticipating to be a race car driver. So these opportunities are thrust at him, and he's thrown into these cars, and he's around all these distractions. Just around that time, too, he's just starting to go girl crazy. His priorities weren't where they needed to be, and that was the most frustrating part because that really was his chance. That was good stuff that should have propelled him where he wanted to go."
